So? Is everyone enjoying summer so far? How are your gardens doing? Mine is dece, the arugula is looking like it’s getting pretty close to the nom zone already. I truly enjoy the process of watering, nurturing (I’m a bit of a softy), and pulling up pesky weeds. Y’know who else enjoys this process? SOCAN! The nominees for the 2013 SOCAN Songwriting Prize are out now, and after pulling out all the weeds surrounding the sweetest tunes evar, they have determined that Whitehorse’s rippin’ jam “Devil’s Got A Gun” is in the running for some nurturing TLC. The winner will be decided by your votes, so you better get on it! – mark your ballot once a day, everyday, until July 3 at this link: http://www.socansongwritingprize.ca/en/#/ Congrats to all of this year’s fine crop of nominees. May you all grow big and strong so we can eat you.

And speaking of Whitehorse, they are finally hitting the east coast on June 14 & 15! That’s tomorrow night! Check tour dates for more info. We’re also hella stoked that Whitehorse is going to be playing the Greenbelt Harvest Picnic, with Neil Young headlining the bill. Woo!

On top of our SOCAN goodness, we’re also pleased that Six Shooterers Whitehorse and Danny Michel have been named to the 2013 Polaris Long List! Just announced today! Congrats to them, and also to all the other fine artists who were nominated this year, including our pals Daniel Romano, Lee Harvey Osmond, Corb Lund, and tons more. You can check out the full list here:

The other big news here is that ‘Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me’ will soon get worldwide release on Cumbancha Records on July 3. That’s right, THE ENTIRE WORLD! Even the teeny tiny country of Andorra will be jamming Danny in the streets. Aaaand, we have you covered for wax! Six Shooter Records has ordered vinyl editions of the new 10-track record, so look for those this summer when you are mobbing the merch table at your local stop of Danny’s tour with The Garifuna Collective across North America. Their first stop in Canada will be at Toronto’s Luminato Festival on June 23. Danny is currently in Belize rehearsing with The Garifuna Collective, who will also release a new record on July 3. Full tour dates below. Every time I hear the word Belize, I get the theme song for Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego stuck in my head… “sumthin, sumthin, sumthin, from Belize down to Berlin!”. If you are of a particular age, perhaps you share the same affliction.

If you reeeeally like a venue, you might as well move in, right? Especially if they serve bitchin’ crantinis! I’m generally way too tough to drink something called a crantini, but hey, it’s summertime, I need refreshment, and I’ve convinced myself that cranberry juice is “healthy”, so keep ‘em coming! Our Steel City boys Harlan Pepper are (I assume) with me on this, and will be making regular appearances at primo crantini spot The Cameron House in Toronto this June. Every Tuesday night (10pm-12pm), Harlan Pepper will be warming up the new material from their forthcoming album, which was recorded with Colin Linden in Nashville. This is your chance for a sneaksy-peeksy! In addition to the Cameron House gig, Harlan Pepper will be touring out west this summer – check tour dates.

So you all know by now that Amelia Curran is one hell of a songwriter. I am personally fascinated by hearing who has inspired the songwriters I admire, and what their process is, so I’m pretty damn stoked about Amelia’s new video series which covers just that! Check out these three new short videos by Light Echo Productions where Amelia discusses songwriters and songwriting, icons and inspiration.

On Kurt Cobain and being an angsty bummed out teen (who I can assume wore a lot of flannel)
»»» Watch Video

On Leonard Cohen and how you are lazy if you don’t spend 10,000 hours writing lyrics (she says it in a more polite way, I swear) »»» Watch Video

On “The Mistress” and Amelia’s own writing process involving pages and pages of lyrics, and not actually being a mistress »»» Watch Video

So, Interstellar Rodeo isn’t our only festival, ya know! We also put on a rad 6 string focused festival called Sleepwalk Guitar Festival, which, along with truly amazing performances from some of the world’s finest guitar players, also includes a very strong workshop and interview component. We have just finished uploading a grip of inspiring videos featuring many of these interviews, so get those tube amps warming up, you are going to want to play after clicking on these links below:

James Burton: “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years” – Luke and James talk Teles and Hot Bands while noodling away on Pretty Woman, Susie Q, Mystery Train and more. »»» Watch Video

Nels Cline on being a jazz guitarist (or not) and on playing the guitar: »»» “It’s the only thing I have the desire to do all the time, besides breathe and eat.” Watch Video

Colin Linden on rough edges and modern recording: the idea of perfection: »»» “It’s easier to be competent and harder to be excellent.” “Everything we love is based in that sensation that you get when you’re on fire with it.” There is an “on fire sensation” plug-in for Pro Tools, right? »»» Watch Video

We are beyond excited to announce that Weekend Passes, Friday night tickets, and Sunday day passes for the Interstellar Rodeo are now SOLD OUT! There are still day tickets for Saturday available, but they’re going fast. Like maybe we have about 30 left. Oh man, this is going to be one hell of a party! Oh, and since tickets are getting pretty scarce pretty fast, and we know some of you might be working yourselves into a bit of a tizzy about making sure you get to see all the great music you want to see, we have set up a cool swap board thingy where you can buy, sell, or trade tickets with all your Interstellar pals! If you need tix, or you have only just realized that you booked a non-refundable kite surfing vacation on the same weekend, make your way over to http://http://interstellarrodeo.com/forums/ to deal with that situation stat!

Presented at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park, Edmonton, on the weekend of July 26-28, Interstellar Rodeo 2013 welcomes a host of musical mavericks, outlaws and rogues of all stripes (and even a few nice and quiet law-abiding folks), including Alabama Shakes, Steve Earle and the Dukes, M. Ward, and more. Kicking off the festival is legendary Edmonton band Jr. Gone Wild, who announced their reunion just in time to be added to the bill. Six Shooterers Danny Michel (with the Garifuna Collective), the Deep Dark Woods, the Good Lovelies, and former Six Shooterers Elliott BROOD have joined the party, as well as local heroes and long time friends Shout Out Out Out Out. Our pals Serena Ryder, Sarah Harmer, the Skydiggers, CR Avery, and Mike Plume, as well as accolade soaked American up-and-comers Kurt Vile and John Fullbright, are all making the glorious pilgrimage to Edmonton, guaranteeing a weekend packed full of stellar tune-age! We are crazy passionate about our flagship festival, and believe me, we have put a lot of thought and effort into carefully selecting artists who blaze their own trails, defy expectations and make music that transcends genres. We want the Interstellar Rodeo to be the best, most memorable festival experience for you, our wonderful music loving fans!

Driven by the blissful glee of how awesome last year’s festival was, we are focused on making Interstellar Rodeo even better! To that end, we are adding two new musical features this year! First up, the Interstellar All-Stars (Sunday, July 28), is a one-day-only “songwriter supergroup” (complete with a fully rocking all-star backing band) featuring Jim Cuddy, Danny Michel and Quique Escamilla. The All-Stars idea grew out of a recent showcase presented by the Americana Music Festival, where these three distinct artists learned each other’s songs and put on such a wicked awesome show that we had to cop the idea ask them to do it again. The Interstellar All-Stars is Six Shooter’s spin on the classic workshop concept.

The second new feature is motivated by our desire to present as many artists as we can in one weekend, on only one stage. Interstellar Rodeo 2013 introduces the Interludes, short sets spotlighting a collection of incredible singer-songwriters. This year’s Interludes performers are Amelia Curran, Del Barber and Rachel Sermanni. In all, 23 artists will grace the Interstellar stage. Did any of you see that psychological thriller starring Jim Carrey called The Number 23? Yeah, me neither, but I’m sure cramming 23 artists onto our stage will be both psychological and thrilling!

We really have to take a moment here to give our sincerest thanks to our returning patrons, volunteers, and sponsors. It is so tremendously uplifting and exciting to see our festival grow and to have the opportunity to bring more amazing music to more amazing people! Together, along with newcomers to this year’s festivities, we’ll make Interstellar Rodeo 2013 a weekend to remember.

Six Shooter Records gets in the Record Day spirit with the label’s first-ever exclusive offering, a Whitehorse 7.”

Side A is a live recording of “Devil’s Got A Gun,” recorded at Catherine North Studio in Hamilton, ON (where The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss was made). The recording is a rare full-band performance, featuring Derek Downham (The Beauties) on drums, Anna Ruddick (Ladies of the Canyon) on bass and Chloe Doucet-Winkelman on backing vocals and keys.

Side B is Whitehorse’s take on a Veal classic. “Lipstick” brings Luke Doucet’s back-catalogue bossa nova gem back to life in humid Whitehorse fashion. The song showcases all that sweltering chemistry that has come to define Whitehorse on stage and on disc.

Six Shooter Records is excited to announce that Danny Michel is relaunching his Juno nominated album, Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me, with three brand new tracks today!

The Canadian relaunch comes in advance of the album’s world release on Cumbancha Records, the label that first introduced Andy Palacio and The Garifuna Collective to international audiences.

Danny talks about this career-shifting experience, the impetus behind the new material, and his relationship to Belize’s people and music in a brand new EPK, produced and directed by Light Echo Productions.

See the EPK, featuring new music, a live performance from the Danny Michel trio, and footage from Danny’s travels to Belize, here

One of the new songs, “Sad And Beautiful World,” is a breezy take on our sorry state, and showcases Danny’s remarkable ability to paint big picture realities in a balmy, radiant palette. See a video for the song here.

1. What Colour Are You?
2. Survivor’s Guilt
3. A Cold Road4. Behind The Waterfall
5. Break It You Buy It
6. Just The Way I Am7. Sad And Beautiful World
8. Into The Light
9. The First Night10. This Is What Is